Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA)

Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA)
Name	Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA)
Formation	2021
Type	Consortium
Headquarters	Amsterdam
Fields	Research assessment, Scholarly communication

Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) is an international consortium formed to reform how scholarly performance is measured, evaluated, and rewarded. It brings together research funders, universities, publishers, and scholarly societies to develop shared principles and practical approaches for responsible assessment. The coalition aims to align evaluation practices with values promoted by initiatives such as DORA, the Leiden Manifesto, and Plan S, engaging a broad range of stakeholders across regions and disciplines.

History and formation

CoARA emerged in the context of earlier reform movements including San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment, Plan S, and the Leiden Manifesto debates, following convenings that included representatives from the European Commission, the Wellcome Trust, and national agencies such as Science Foundation Ireland and the National Institutes of Health. Early meetings involved actors from the Dutch Research Council (NWO), the Max Planck Society, and the Association of American Universities, alongside publishers like Elsevier, Springer Nature, and Wiley. Founding dialogues referenced practices at institutions such as University of Oxford, Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, and funders including the European Research Council and UK Research and Innovation. The formation drew on precedents set by coalitions like the cOAlition S consortium and networks such as the Research Data Alliance.

Mission and objectives

CoARA's stated mission is to promote fair, transparent, and context-sensitive research assessment across stakeholders including funders, institutions, and publishers. Objectives include replacing reliance on narrow metrics associated with Journal Citation Reports and the Impact Factor with broader indicators recognized by the Open Researcher and Contributor ID community, scholarly societies such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Royal Society, and policy frameworks from bodies like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Membership and governance

Membership comprises a mix of research funders (for example, the European Molecular Biology Organization, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the National Science Foundation), academic institutions (including the University of Cambridge and the University of Melbourne), publishers (for example, Sage Publications and Taylor & Francis), and learned societies such as the American Chemical Society and the Institute of Physics. Governance structures feature a steering group and working groups modeled on governance arrangements used by the Committee on Publication Ethics and the World Health Organization advisory panels, with secretariat support located in cities associated with major research policy hubs such as The Hague and Brussels.

Initiatives and activities

CoARA coordinates pilot programs, guidance documents, and training for assessment reform, building on methods trialed by the National Institutes of Health, the Wellcome Trust, and the European Commission Horizon 2020 projects. Activities have included stakeholder workshops with participants from the International Science Council, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, and national academies like the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences; development of assessment toolkits drawing on metadata standards such as CrossRef and DataCite; and collaboration on policies with digital infrastructures like ORCID and OpenAIRE.

Principles and guidelines

The coalition promulgates principles intended to echo and expand on those from the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and the Leiden Manifesto, advocating for diverse evidence portfolios, narrative CVs used at institutions such as Stanford University and Utrecht University, and recognition of outputs beyond traditional articles, including datasets, software, and public engagement endorsed by organizations like the European University Association and the Wellcome Trust. Guidelines promote transparent peer review practices highlighted in reforms at eLife and PLOS, and encourage alignment with standards developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.

Impact and reception

Reactions to CoARA have ranged from endorsement by funders and universities to cautious engagement by some publishers and professional societies. Supporters cite improvements in hiring and promotion practices at pilot sites such as University College London and the Australian Research Council-funded institutions, while critics raise concerns echoed in commentaries from outlets connected to Nature and Science about implementation complexity and costs. Independent evaluations reference comparable shifts observed after policy changes by the European Research Council and national research assessment exercises like the Research Excellence Framework.

Challenges and future directions

Key challenges include interoperability with existing evaluation systems exemplified by Scopus and Web of Science, resistance from stakeholders accustomed to established metrics associated with Journal Citation Reports, and the need to coordinate across jurisdictions governed by bodies such as the European Commission and national research councils. Future directions emphasize scaling pilots through partnerships with infrastructure providers like CrossRef and DataCite, embedding practices within tenure frameworks at institutions including Columbia University and ETH Zurich, and expanding engagement with regional organizations such as the African Academy of Sciences and the Asia-Pacific Research Network to support broader adoption.

Category:Research assessment